Scales
by Starved of Song
Summary: Linn will never go in the water again. It's freaky, it's dark, and above all it had tried to kill her. After a near-death experience by drowning, Linn is terrified of the lakes and rivers that surround her town. Then one summer, a boy with an abnormal love for water tries to show her the light, and uncovers a horrifying secret that makes the lake far more deadly than ever.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **This is the first chapter to a generalized fairy tale FF that I have decided to begin. It is actually a remedy for writer's block that I've developed, and will be good for me in many ways.

I'd greatly appreciate criticism, though personally sent in IM, if you'd please. And of course your general comments and reviews in the designated area would be awesome sauce!

Enjoy!

* * *

Linn hit the water with a loud _slap_. The impact knocked the wind right out of her, and she was going down. The first thing to enter her mind was that it was painful, and it was COLD. Immediately she sought to right herself, to get her bearings, to figure out which way was _up_, but it was all dark. The sun had set when she and her friends had decided to go skinny dipping earlier, and the cold was even more unbearable because of it.

She tried to calm herself, her mind was racing all over in her skull. She curled up in a ball and allowed the bubbles to settle around her so she could try to see the light of the moon. As she waited, four seconds felt like an eternity as her body was trying to make up for the loss in heat and no air. Linn felt her heart beating panic-stricken in her chest.

Suddenly, between her toes she felt sand. Murky, slimy, disgusting and just what she needed. She braced herself for one good kick and she shot off towards the surface.

Only it wasn't enough.

The thought of drowning had never actually entered Linn's mind until the tips of her fingers had made it out of the water, grasping at life, and then her weight had pulled her back down again. She tried to kick but it was so cold, and her muscles were screaming for air. As she sank farther and farther into the dark water beneath the old Pinewood Bridge, the chill started to diminish, replaced by an odd warming sensation washing over her as she closed her already half lidded eyes.

Linn faded into the endless suspension of drowning in water.

* * *

_There is something humbling_, Linn thought,_ about waking up cold and naked on a riverbank._

Linn blinked weakly into the lights being pointed at her. The world around her seemed louder than she remembered. There were people staring at her, worried glances between them. Some were on their phones. Linn desperately hoped they were calling 911 and not posting photos online. A botched attempt at skinny dipping in _this _town was grounds for a lifetime of inside jokes and candid comments.

She shivered in the mud; there was nothing else to do. When she nonchalantly tried to cover herself, she heard a chorus of "No! Don't try to move!"

So she lay there. Cold, wet, and covered in slime, and when the paramedics arrived they poked and prodded at her pale-blue body. She was numb to their touches but uncomfortable all the same. It was not exactly said that Linn was a prude but she was, in her own opinion, of a higher standard than most of the girls in her town and was therefore unnerved by their actions.

"P-p-please…c-c-cold…" she squeaked weakly from the ground, her right arm pinned beneath her. She could still feel the small waves of river water lapping at her toes, and that frightened her. She never wanted to go near water again.

Never.

"Ma'am, you need to stay calm. We're doing what we can, but I need you to focus on staying awake. We will take you to the nearest hospital…" Their voices faded out of her consciousness as her consciousness faded out of reality.

Her last moment of clarity was a small firefly in the distance. She tried to stay awake, and focus on the small, bright creature, but how could she? How, when she was just so tired?

* * *

The hospital bed was by far much more preferable to the cold, muddy riverbank. She blamed the mud and water for everything. She knew deep down she should be blaming herself, but even the doctors said her condition was because of the water.

Hypothermia for one thing. Then there was her electrolyte imbalance, the hypoxia, and plenty of other horrible symptoms. Mostly, they were trying to keep her lungs stable after all the liquid inhalation. In fact, most of them applauded her for surviving at all! Some medical mystery, because according to her friends' reports, she was under the water and for a good twenty minutes before her body had resurfaced and washed up on shore. Not only was that _double_ the time that any near-drowning victim should EVER be under water, but the recovery and CPR took another five to ten minutes itself.

CPR that was miraculously performed by Jaime, her friend Hattie's boyfriend. She hoped they never broke up. She'd pay for their goddamned wedding if she could; anything to make up for saving her nearly lost life.

The ceiling fan above her rotated slowly, almost hypnotically. She gazed at it in thought, wondering just _why_ she was so lucky to become a medical mystery.

_Don't get me wrong, it's appreciated, and I'm not going to question it. Not one bit. Just…it's strange. Right?_ Linn rubbed her eyes and tried not to cry. After this little adventure, she was going through the stages of "Loving Life". Or so her therapist said.

Dr. Addams was very kind, helpful, and entirely unnecessary. Apart from the rumor going around that Linn had attempted suicide, the good doctor was mostly a near-death victim recovery shrink. Apparently there was supposed to be some sort of emotional or psychological turmoil bubbling up inside her drenched lungs, but for some reason, she just felt…relieved. How could anyone who had felt death, felt the absolute _end_, and then recovered from it, feel anything except sheer unadulterated happiness?

Apparently it wasn't unheard of to come out of death feeling nothing but a renewed respect for life, because Linn was going home in a few days. Without any recurring therapy. As long as she didn't let the water truly terrify her. But she wasn't going to admit to Dr. Addams that it did, and always would.

So that was it. That was the beginning of her summer, and she wasn't about to let this incident ruin the rest of it. She just…was staying on dry land. You could still enjoy summer without the water right?


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello to everyone who followed or commented or reviewed! Special shout out to _**TheLittlePoet**_ who followed. I appreciate it so much! Make sure to send me your personal thoughts and ideas so that I can better myself in the future. I really need to work on my construction if I'm ever going to get my real novel finished, so PLEASE, critique me. Privately of course.

One last shout-out to my Co-Creators: **_The Raven_ **and **_The Blacksmith_**

Anyway, we're past the Prologue and onto Chapter 1!

* * *

Linn wasn't used to giving up so much fun.

Half of the reason she wanted to go to a college semi-close to home was because of the summers in her hometown. The warmer season at Clearwater Falls was its greatest tourist attraction, and while it was no picnic to live here in the harsh winters, summertime _always _made it worth it. The new people to meet, the old friends from summer's past, the festivals, the boating competitions, the extra tips at work. Everything was better in the summer.

Everything except the activities.

Absolutely _everyone_ wanted to go into the water. Everyone.

That was the tradition! That was the routine! It wasn't _their_ fault that she'd slipped. It wasn't _their_ fault that she'd fallen backwards, hit the icy water from behind and sunk to the bottom. It wasn't _their_ fault that she couldn't get over one little incident.

They didn't think so, and they had let her know it.

Linn had almost been sent back to therapy for her violent reactions towards any water sport. It was almost like her body had its own personal recoil; an instinctual rebuff from ever stepping into foreign water ever again.

Showers? Fine. Bathtubs? As long as she was totally alert. Pools? Only under extreme duress. Lakes and rivers? Never, ever, _never_ _again_.

Her closest friends were supportive. After all, it had only happened a month ago. The summers in Clearwater always felt longer than any others around. They were known for starting earlier there than most other towns and cities within the region. Most of the time people would start opening pools mid-April, and if you knew what it was like living in a semi-northern area, you would know that is relatively _unheard_ of.

This time, was highly irregular. It was early May and a colder evening than they usually got, but frankly, that had never been known to stop a bunch of teenagers in Clearwater Falls. Linn and her friends were graduating! They were seniors with only about a month left, and the excitement was everywhere. It was in every conversation, every breath, every dance and every song. They were going to _do_ something this weekend. What? They didn't exactly know yet, but they'd had a twelve pack of unmentionables and a whole lot of time on their hands.

A horribly dangerous combination.

With fortune's favor, Linn had nothing in her system when they'd fished her out of the river, and that was good news for everyone. Not only was she alive, but they were still going to graduate.

So, with that on the bright side, Linn's friends had been incredibly supportive and patient with her newfound phobia, and they were not likely to push her. Unfortunately, she was too nice to make them stay behind with her when there was a whole summer to enjoy. It was mid-June, and the tourists were flooding in.

This was the _time_, and Linn was missing it.

* * *

"Miss!"

Linn inwardly groaned to herself as she picked up her serving tray and headed over to what could only be described as the most _annoying_ table she'd ever waited on. The man was pushy, and picky, and his wife turned her nose up at everything on the menu. They'd taken a half hour to order, and now when they'd finally gotten their food, it wasn't good enough.

She couldn't wait to go home.

"I ordered this done medium rare. This is _extremely _over-cooked. Are you stupid? Is this why you're a waitress?"

If you'd ever seen the movie "Waiting", you'd know that this kind of behavior, even in this adorable little town, was incredibly dangerous. She made her way back into the kitchen, threw the plate down on the T-top and yelled, "Medium rare stake, and for the love of God, please scrub the toilet with it first!"

One of the bus boys poked his head out of the dish room. "It's the Ington family isn't it?"

"YES. How did you know that?"

He just shook his head. "They're the worst neighbors ever. They rent out this really classy cabin every summer, and its right next to my house. You would _not believe_ the stories I could tell you."

The head chef, Jackson, slapped his spatula on the flat top. "Tell her on your own time, Byron! Get scrubbing!"

He winked at her and went back to work. Linn smiled a little to herself, took a deep breath and pushed her way back into the dining room.

* * *

Linn decided long ago that she wasn't going to let her family's house become a sense of blinding irony.

It was a beach house, with a long dock, soft sands, and plenty of toys. She also wasn't going to say her family was rich, but a boat, a cabana and two jet skis made it hard to deny. And as for the near future, she wasn't going to be enjoying any of them anytime soon.

"What are you doing out here?" Her mother walked up behind her with an inquisitive tilt of the head.

She shrugged. "Thinking." She was on their above deck with her arms around the railing and her legs dangling over the edge. Her head fit nicely in the little opening between the bars.

Her mother nodded slightly behind her. "About?"  
"Water."

Linn hears her mother's exasperated sigh. "That's all you think about now. Every day, every hour it seems like."

She rolls her eyes. "You asked me to be honest with you. Please don't start again." She waited for the lecture about resuming her therapy, and was not disappointed. It would be a while before she was able to go back to her thoughts again.

"…just unhealthy! I know you think college will get you far from the lake, but the truth is it's too late! You picked one close to home and now you need to live with what home entails. Water. Lakes. Rivers. It's everywhere here!"

Linn watched the trees sway in the light summer wind. The green was shining off the water and shading the deck in cool blankets. The wood beneath her fingers was dry and smooth. It was so peaceful here. Why couldn't anyone in this town understand the beauty of the Earth? Why was everything about water?

Maybe it only felt that way because she couldn't let it go.

"Are you listening?!"

"Holy Hell, Mom, yes. Jeez."

The rest of the day followed in similar fashion. Much to Linn's dismay, she would resume therapy on the coming Monday. Since it was Saturday, she was bummed to say the very least. She didn't kick and scream like she thought she would though. Maybe that little part of her that missed summer, and the sports and the fun, wanted to be fixed. She wanted to be normal again. She wanted to be strong.

Linn was bummed, but she was also lonely.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **So it took forever to post that last chapter, mostly because I have moved to college! Now I can FF all the time (between classes and a social life), so not at all. I'm trying to get some sort of routine put in that pushes me to update and write more, but it would really help if I knew I was doing alright. Not to mention I'm taking a creative writing course, so my novel is on hold for better editing.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed!

* * *

As part of Linn's going back to therapy she was required to spend a little time once a day strolling on the beach. This of course was absolutely the last thing that she wanted to do, but since she was trying very hard this time to make an effort to actually stick to getting better, she found herself traipsing through the hot sand after work.

Her shoes swung loosely in her hand as she let her bare feet sweep their way through the white sand and loose gravel. The feeling of each individual grain between her toes was both familiar and concerning. The last time she remembered feeling sand, it was between her teeth and embedded into her hair and nails on that wet riverbank.

The wind was warm, the sun was warm, and the sand was warm…but the water; every time that she looked to her left she could see that cold blue color. It was unsettling.

"…What are you doing?"

Linn jumped and spun around. Behind her stood a boy with dark black hair that could have been misconstrued as a deep navy the way it shined. His skin was pale and his eyes as navy as his hair would have been if he were some anime character. "Um, what?"

"You look like you're admiring the water, yet you're hugging the asphalt. Doesn't that hurt your feet?"

"No." Yes.

He glanced down at her scuffed feet and then back at her, giving her a look that suggested he thought her less than intelligent. "Really?" She nodded. "Alright. Still, if you want I can take you closer to the water. It's far prettier when you're up close."

The guy made to reach for her hand and Linn snapped it back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I just-"

"You don't just grab someone! Did I SAY I wanted to go anywhere near that water?"

He pulled back and frowned. "_That_ water? You're afraid?"

"What?" Linn started to move away from him. He glanced at her and then the lake, shrugging.

"It's just the way that you're talking about it, like it's some kind of monster. Your tone is…freaked."  
She glared at him, shaking her head. "Who are you? Why do you care? Maybe I do get freaked out by water, so what? I almost drowned! You don't know!"

It antagonized her so much to watch him shrug again and speak to her in cautious tones, as if she were crazy and he was the sane one. Even though he was invading her personal _everything_. "I'm sorry, I was just curious."

She took a few breaths and tried to calm down. Judging by the glances they were getting, she _did_ seem like a crazy person. "I-I'm sorry. That was…loud, and rude. I didn't mean to make you feel like you were invading. It's just a touchy subject. That's all."

He smiled a little. "I'm Grayson." He slowly held out his hand. "Call me Gray, if you'd like."

She took it gently and tried to seem sane. "Linnette. PLEASE, call me Linn."

"Of course."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Okay, so…it was lovely to meet you, and get yelled at by you, and then become acquaintances with you." He smiled as he spoke, so she tried to take it all in good humor. "I have to get going though. If you ever want to talk about that water thing, I know it must be hard to handle alone. You'll probably run into me."

She raised an eyebrow. "No offense, but I don't really know you…"

He nodded and then gave her an unreadable look. "I know, it's just…I love water. Its life giving, and vast and mysterious. I don't know why… it just kind of pains me to see how much you hate it."

Linn tried not to laugh in his face. She'd heard as much before. Everyone around her had preached about almost the exact same thing. Water people. That's what they all were here. Their lives were built around it. Not that it was their fault. It was in their upbringing. The year round festivals, the tourists, the fisheries, and the jobs they got on weekends and through the summers; everything about this town of hers had to do with water. Even this kid, who was obviously from someplace else, had been infected by its call. A sense of community linked by this element she no longer trusted or loved.

"Thanks then. I'll remember your interest." She ducked her head and got away as quick as she could, fast-walking on the hot concrete and fishing out her keys from her back pocket. When she reached the car she stole one last glance in the direction she'd come from, and he was gone. No doubt lost in the sea of beach dwellers.

"Okay then."

* * *

The next day, when the encounter on the beach seemed like a distant memory, Linn sat in her therapist's office and lied through her teeth.

"Did you get your feet wet?"

"Yes."

"And?"  
"It was…fine."

Now, lying to one's therapist was the deepest low you could possibly go. First of all, they're there to help you and have not one judgmental bone in their body. Second, the point was that if Linn had NOT gotten her feet wet yesterday, she would only have to try again. Instead, she was moving on to the next step.

"Good! Exposure is the fastest and most effective way to overcome your fears. Now, we're going to try something a little harder. Not too hard, don't give me that look. I want you to try getting up to your shorts line. Just walk in as far as you can without getting your clothes wet. Can you do that?"

Linn felt herself take a deep breath. "I…think so?"

Dr. Addams just nodded knowingly, pushing her glasses that were most likely a prop farther up on her nose. "Good, that's all I ask. That you try, and are honest when we talk."

Linn nodded back, knowing fully well that she hadn't done either of those things, yesterday OR when she walked in. But instead of feeling guilty she promised herself that she would do what Dr. Addams recommended. TODAY. After work. That _soon_?

* * *

They said their goodbyes and went on their separate ways, Linn heading off to her waitress job at the Kingfisher. It was a nautical theme, high end restaurant. Very beautiful actually, though she could do without the shipwreck paintings. The walls were so many deep shades of blue and green, the wood trimming was cherry wood and mahogany, and within many of the decorations fool's gold was gilded in intricate patterns. They had a blue and gold crystal chandelier in the center of the room, and the balconies above had different themes and styles of their own.

The Kingfisher was the crown Jewel of Clearwater Falls, and was owned by the wealthiest family in the tri-city area. Ironically, Byron the Busboy was their son. Byron Halyard, heir to a fortune and currently busing tables.

Linn crept in the back a few minutes early for her shift. While she was getting her things out of her locker she caught Byron in the corner of her vision. It was like he never left this place. No doubt his parents made him work full time, from the bottom up of course. When asked about it, he always said something about "paying your dues", and that was really inspiring for Linn.

She watched him for a moment before going to change.

Byron was hot. There.

Except he really was! Linn found herself comparing him to the boy she'd met yesterday. What was his name? Ray? While Ray had the pale skin and deep dark hair, Byron was toned, tan, and sandy haired. His eyes were unnaturally amber instead of light blue like one would expect. His sister did. She was tall, blonde, and tan, too. Their whole family was like that though. Probably good breeding, although it made sense. Good breeding, tons of money, damn it was like a fairy tale.

Linn glanced at herself in the mirror. Hazel eyes, pale, freckles. The only thing that she was proud of in her appearance was her copper hair that made her seem (to quote her friends' words) _foxy_. Although how anyone could look foxy with hazel eyes was beyond her. She'd always wanted something rare, like Byron's amber eyes. Preferably that ginger green, but that was beyond her now. She was eighteen, she couldn't suddenly develop a new pigment.

"_Still,_" she thought on her way out of the employee bathroom. "_I like how I look. If only guys did, too_." Her perpetual single-ness was nothing she wanted to think about now. NOW, she had to get to work, because time flies when you're having fun dreaming about boys, and honestly, she hoped this work day would drag.

Because after work, she was going down to the lake, and she was going to like it.

* * *

"Would you like some company?" He'd asked. He'd looked at her dead in the eyes, how could she refuse?

How could she accept?

When Linn was around water, she became this unrecognizable thing. It was like holding a mad cat over the bathtub. It was frenzied, and frightening, and pretty obnoxious in complete honesty. And to let one of the richest people she knew WATCH her sanity unfold like that? Unthinkable.

Still, Byron had asked, and he'd been so so so sweet about it, Linn was fooled into muttering, "Yes", and now here they were, at the water's edge, the sun starting to set. Everything shined like gold in the light, but there was a chill in the air. She wrapped her arms around herself and shifted on her feet.

"So…this is your therapy?" His tone was not at all judgmental, maybe a bit confused, but kind. Not like her mother who begged Linn to get in the water every time the subject came up. Which was always.

She took a deep breath. "No…"

"No?"  
"I'm actually supposed to be…IN the water."

"Oh."

They stared out across it, Linn keeping her eyes on the trees on the other side rather than what lay in between.

"…So…are you going in?"

Linn shrugged. "I promised myself I would."

He nodded. "Alright, so let's do this!"

Byron kicked off his shoes and rolled up his pants so they were above his knees. Linn had brought shorts to change into for this singular purpose, and she nonchalantly pulled them down a slight inch or so, to add extra short line. She watched anxiously as he waded knee deep into the waters of Blue Lake, and he sighed.

"Ah. It's a good temperature tonight. Not too cold, you know?" He turned to look at her and she smiled a little, trying to seem okay.

"Yeah? So-sounds nice." She felt a stray wave tickle her toes and she tensed a little.

"Linn?"  
"Yeah?" She looked up at him.  
"Just look at me. I'm right here, it's okay." Byron extended his hand to her, and she closed her eyes, moving forward, her hand reaching.

The water _was_ a good temperature. It tickled the dry skin above her ankles, and she could remember some happier memories. Her mouth curved up at the edges a little, remembering the days and nights spent out on the lake, swishing her feet off the edge of the pontoon, or getting pushed off the edge by her friends. She remembered that, at that time, she'd been laughing. While she wasn't laughing now, she still felt slightly less afraid than she expected.

"It's…nice."  
"See? Oh, hold on, I got you." Linn felt his hand wrap around her outstretched one, and then the pressure as he squeezed it and pulled her that final step to him. "You can open your eyes now if you want."

She shook her head. "I-I don't think I can…" She imagined the last bit of light going down under the horizon, behind the trees. The moment when the water turned black. Her muscles started to seize and she was poised to run. "I have to get out."

"No, wait! You're so close-"

She pulled at his hand. "Byron let go!"

Her eyes cracked open at the precise moment he bent down to kiss her. At first she was so startled that she fell back a bit, but he wrapped his arm round her waist and kept the other attached to her hand. Linn felt her heartbeat speed up even more, and soon she was desperate for air. While it was sweet, and ridiculously romantic; his mouth moving deliciously against hers and his strong arms keeping Linn rooted, she also felt trapped.

And something moved by her foot.

"Mhmm!" She tried to pull back for air, but instead her foot went out from under her and she was going down.  
"Linn!" He made a grab for her but it was too late. Even in about three feet of water, Linn was soon submerged. Her thrashing instinct came over and soon she was fighting him, fighting the water, fighting everything to get free.

And just as things were starting to get horrifying, she felt his hands on the back of her arms and she was hoisted back to life.

"GAH!" She gasped, panting and then she made a break for the beach.

When she hit the sand she immediately fell to her knees, shaking, unable to stand. _Cold, dark, scary, slimy, cold, dark, scary, slimy_… the words repeated themselves, and it was just like the first time.

_Dying_.

She shook her head vigorously, causing her newly wet hair to slap around like a crazed dog. _No, not this time. Not like last time. I'm alive, I can breathe. It's dry here._

As the panic subsided she suddenly realized that there were two voices behind her.  
"-get her killed! What the Hell were you doing!?"

"Get lost, guy! This is NONE of your business? Who are you, even!?"  
"I got her out of the water! What were YOU doing!?"

Linn plopped down with a wet thud on her butt and turned her head to see. In the water was Byron, dripping wet, save for his head. One of his pant legs had fallen down and he was a lopsided wet thing. Next to him, _fighting_ with him, was a taller figure who was completely drenched, both pant legs and what looked like shoes.

Linn didn't say anything as they finished their fight, she didn't have the words. She saw Byron start to walk up to her leaving the other person in the lake.  
"Linn? LINN? Can you hear me? Are you okay? I'm SO sorry, please say something! Linn!?"

She blinked. "Byron? Who is that?"

The sun had set in the last few minutes of that debacle, so it was moonlight that lit up the face of the other person who made their way onto the beach, yanking off soaking wet sneakers and throwing them on the sand.

"Hey, again Linn."

She squinted, her voice raspy. "Gray?"

He shrugged. "I thought you were in trouble, I'm sorry if I…ruined something."

She shook her head. "You pulled me up?"

He just nodded. Byron sat down next to her and looped an arm around her. "…Thank you."

"Anytime, remember?"

Byron gave him a look, but Linn didn't notice. She nodded and stared after him a little bit before shakily getting to her feet. "I need to go home…"

Byron nodded. "Okay, I'll drive you."

When she made it back to her house she put on dry and warm pajamas, but she couldn't sleep. She thought about how she must have looked when Gray had dragged her out of the water, how she looked when she stumbled out of Byron's car and into the house. Her car still sitting in the parking lot at the beach. Her mother of course was joyful to see Linn's hair wet, and a little sandy. So now she was lying to her therapist AND her mother about progress that didn't even exist. She lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling as she thought about everything. She thought about Byron's kiss, about Gray; she never even asked him what he was doing on the beach tonight. Probably enjoying the water, since that's all he seemed to care about.

No, not all. _I mean, he DID haul me out of the water. Why didn't Byron get me out_?

Linn's mind fogged over, and she tried to quell the panic. She hoped, _prayed_, that she wouldn't have nightmares. The nightmares of cold, and of people who may or may not have tried to pull her out of the lake.

* * *

**A/N: GRAY IS NOT FAIRY TAIL GRAY. Just a coincidence I SWEAR. Please don't hate me or comment on it...**


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